It is hoped that, by exploring the relationship between traditional craft and design and contemporary practice, the prize will generate a wider debate about Islamic culture and its role today.

There were almost 270 nominations for the third edition of the competition, with entrants hailing from countries spanning Algeria, Kosovo, India and Russia, Brazil, Norway, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

A panel of judges chaired by V&A Director Martin Roth, selected the shortlist for 2013, which includes examples of Arabic typography and calligraphy, fashion inspired by the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, multimedia installations, furniture design and delicate miniature drawings.

The 10 shortlisted artists are; Faig Ahmed, Nada Debs, Mounir Fatmi, Rahul Jain, Dice Kayek, Waqas Khan, Laurent Mareschal, Nasser Al Salem, Florie Salnot and Pascal Zoghbi. You can watch a series of videos about each of the finalists on the V&A website.